How Long Does It Take To Run A Mile? (Average Times by Age and Sex)

Factors That Affect Your Mile Time

When considering how fast it will take to run a mile without stopping, it’s not as simple as saying a single time as not everyone’s the same and running under the same conditions.

The three main factors fall under age, gender, and fitness level.

The Impact of Age on Your Mile Time

Under 18, you can typically perform well in physical activities (see our other article on how fast a child can run a mile). In your 20s to 35s, running performance basically does not decline.

• As we hit 40, our running speed and mile times naturally slow down.
• This decline is slow and gradual (around 1 percent annually until 65-70s, after which the drop becomes naturally more substantial).

The exact amount that mile time decreases will depend on fitness level and training. In any case, research suggests that the age-related decline in running speed can be somewhat significant.

However, age doesn’t have to be a limiting factor. Regular exercise and training can help mitigate age-related declines in running performance and help keep up with the mile run time.

How Gender Affects Mile Run Times

When it comes to running a mile, gender can definitely play a role in how fast someone can complete it. On average, men tend to have faster mile run times than women due to differences in muscle mass and oxygen uptake.

• Men’s average mile run time is around 6 minutes and 30 seconds.
• The time for women is about 8 minutes and 30 seconds.
• However, it’s important to note that these are just averages, and individual abilities can vary greatly.

The world record for the mile run by a man is 3 minutes and 43 seconds, while the women’s record is 4 minutes and 12 seconds.

There are several reasons why men might run faster than women. One is the difference in body composition.

Men typically have more muscle mass and less body fat than women, which can give them an advantage in running. Men also tend to have larger lung capacity and higher hemoglobin levels, so they can take in more oxygen and deliver it to their muscles more efficiently.

The Role of Fitness Level in Determining Your Mile Time

This can be broken up into 3 different categories. Beginner, intermediate and advanced.

Beginners: Beginners will typically be someone who has only just started running and has maybe a tiny bit of experience.

Someone who has just started running is only going to be able to run a mile in a slower time frame than someone who is more experienced and has built up better fitness levels.

Intermediate: An intermediate runner will have been running for a while and relatively frequently, this will mostly be for health or pleasure reasons but will be a decent amount faster than a beginner.

Advanced: Then the advanced runners, this level of experience is quite broad as it can be someone who just runs a lot, someone who competes for fun, and then can go as far as elite-level athletes.

The elite runners speed quicker than average and can run a mile much faster.